EXCLUSIVE: Vengaboys' Roy on giving up the 'fairy tale' pop star life to become a flight attendant

By Adam Bub| 3 years ago

Former Vengaboys singer Roy Olivero in his cabin crew get-up. Inset: Roy with the Vengaboys in 2000. Images: Instagram/Getty.

Roy Olivero lived the high life in late '90s/early '00s pop group the Vengaboys. What happened after he hopped off the Vengabus?

From big-scale international tours to lavish royal brunches, Roy Olivero (formerly Roy den Burger) lived the high life as part of late '90s/early '00s pop-dance group the Vengaboys.

With hits like 'Boom Boom Boom Boom' and 'We Like To Party (The Vengabus)', the high-camp band sold 25 million records worldwide.

But in 2004, their resident "cowboy" Roy left his "fairy tale" behind. Six months later, he became a flight attendant. Why would anyone give up all that first-class jet-setting and those A-list parties?

Roy, now 40, tells TheFIX just why he hopped off the Vengabus.

"I wanted to experience the world as myself, without any bodyguards, without any promotional people, without any record company people," the Dutch performer tells us. "I just wanted to know how it felt to be like a normal person."

When the band was asked to do a third album, Roy wanted out.

"I'd been working my ass off for seven years, I had to leave my youth behind," he explains. "I was so focussed on reaching my goal to get the group to a higher level. And when I did that, I said to the group, I cannot go further anymore … I missed my friends and my family."

His bandmates weren't happy and split soon afterwards, only to reunite without Roy in 2006.

Going from brunching with Prince Albert of Monaco to resuming everyday life back home in Rotterdam wasn't easy – Roy said he fell into a "black hole" while figuring out his next move.

Roy had the support of his husband, whom he married nine years ago, but while in the Vengaboys, he chose to keep his relationship closely guarded.

"My manager really wanted me to come out," he says. "I did not want to come out to the public. Not that I don't regret it or was ashamed, but it was the only thing that was still private."

Roy started working as an air hostie for Dutch carrier KLM Airlines more than 10 years ago and hasn't looked back.

Venga-fans found out about his new career in a fan-filmed YouTube video of him doing an in-flight safety demo:

It's a completely different world to Roy's life at the top of pop, where he also witnessed the dark side of celebrity. He recalls seeing his idols blind drunk after an awards show.

"Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, they came into the hotel lobby and they were fighting. Mary J Blige was walking in the back. And I saw Mick Jagger rolling into the lobby," Roy recalls.

"I was so disappointed because you see them in a way different light on TV or at concerts. I thought they were really strong independent people. But then again, I could see their vulnerability, because they were people as well."

Despite his cabin crew life, Roy hasn't left the world of entertainment behind altogether, though. In Rotterdam, he performs as his drag showgirl alter-ego Chrystal Conners, who he describes as "this power woman that I want to see in almost every woman".

In between flights, Roy has taken Crystal's high-glam shows to Asia, the US and South America.

Crystal Connors, Roy's fabulous drag creation. Images: Supplied.

Though Roy rarely sees his Vengaboys ex-bandmates, he's still close to lead singer Kim Sasabone, who is like a "sister" to him.

However, one thing you won't see in his shows is the return of the "cowboy" costumes.

"I still have my old clothes but I'm not wearing them," he laughs. "Actually I hate the cowboy stuff now!"